Contents

Biography

During the 1991–1992 school year, ProfessorQuirinus Quirrell, trying to figure out how to get past Fluffy and retrieve the Philosopher's Stone, disguised himself and enticed Hagrid to play a game of cards by wagering Norberta's egg. They had a few drinks, and Quirrell asked him if he was sure he could handle raising a dragon. Hagrid told him about how he managed Fluffy, inadvertently giving Quirrell the information he needed. Hagrid later assumed that 'the stranger' was a Dragon dealer.

Hagrid with Norberta's dragon egg.

Hagrid kept the egg in his hut, warming it over a fire until it hatched. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were present when Norberta hatched. Also present (though at first unknown) was Draco Malfoy, who peered through a window of Hagrid's hut. The trio feared that Hagrid would get in trouble, and so convinced him to get rid of the dragon. The baby dragon looked "like a crumpled black umbrella" with large spiny wings, a skinny body and a long snout with wide nostrils, horn stubs and bulging, orange eyes. Hagrid immediately adored her, although she tried to bite him.

Norbert(a) after hatching

"I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

He named the newborn dragon "Norbert", and fed it with a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour, as recommended in Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit. However, as the young dragon grew, it became too violent and dangerous to keep. After Norbert bit Ron Weasley's hand, for which he had to go to the Hospital wing due to the venom in its fangs, Hagrid had no choice but to release Norbert to Charles Weasley, who worked with dragons in Romania.

When Hagrid met Charlie at Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, he was informed that the dragon, originally thought to be a male named Norbert, was now called Norberta, as Charlie had discovered that she was in fact a female. He said that he was able to tell by the females being much more violent and ferocious.

Behind the scenes

The film version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has a different departure for Norberta. Instead of her presence remaining a secret and Harry and Hermione handing her over to Charlie's friends, the Hogwarts staff becomes aware of her, and Dumbledore had her sent off to Romania. Also, the dragon is shown to be affectionate with the groundskeeper, rather than violent.